A good night's sleep is very essential for the body and mind to recharge and be ready to function to its full extent each day. Though, the constant change in lifestyle has altered the fixed sleep hours, it is still advisable that for a healthy lifestyle, 7 to 8 hours of sound sleep is essential.

Studies reveal that about 60% of the UK population is sleep deprived, getting 6 or less hours of sleep. Further, studies have shown that there is a good correlation between a person's food habits and the sleep pattern. While some foods are good at inducing sleep, there are others which help you reduce fatigue that sleeplessness brings in.

The following is a list of foods along with their most significant benefits:

Cherries: Cherries contain Melatonin which controls our biological clock and is often used to combat jetlag. Melatonin improves duration and quality of sleep.
Bananas: Bananas are loaded with Potassium and Magnesium, which are very good for cardiovascular health and cognitive functioning and are believed to induce peaceful sleep.
Mangoes: Mangoes help by boosting the immune system and provide a good night's sleep.
Blueberries: Blueberries are believed to reduce oxidative stress and muscle cell inflammation and are an excellent choice of snack for lack of sleep. Blueberries balance the level of blood sugar and stabilize the hormone of satiety, Leptin, thus, inducing better sleep.
Milk: A glass of warm milk induces sleep. Add a pinch of cinnamon and see yourself sleep even better. Scientists believe that Tryptophan and Serotonin do the magic. Not just milk, even other dairy products such as cheese can improve your sleep.
Fish: Salmon, Sardines, and Tuna are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids and also contain vitamin B6. All these are believed to improve cognitive state and are believed to induce a restful sleep.
Nuts: Be it walnuts, pecans or cashews, all nuts have a soothing effect. They are a rich source of Tryptophan, which is an amino acid responsible for sleep. They release Melatonin and Serotonin which regulate the biological clock and manage sleep patterns.
Herbal tea: For instance, Chamomile tea and Valerian tea act as a mild sedative and encourage a healthy sleep. The whole act of brewing the tea with the aroma wafting through the air is believed to promote a soothing effect too. Green tea is also considered as a god sleep inducing agent.

8 Great Things To Eat For People Suffering From Poor Sleep

Getting a good night s sleep is needed not only to remove dark circles but to improve your overall health as well. Ideally, adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night. This helps you stay physically and mentally healthy. However, getting a good night s sleep is easier said than done, as sleep apnea is one of the factors that could affect the quality of your sleep. This can cause a number of health issues including heart disease.

What is sleep apnea?
Sleep Apnea is a sleep disorder that can make your breathing start and stop repeatedly while you are asleep. These pauses can range from 5 times an hour to 30 times in one hour. Waking up tired after a long sleep and snoring are characteristic symptoms of this condition. This can be annoying for others, but for you, it could be life-threatening. When your breathing stops; your airways get blocked. 

This is characteristic of obstructive sleep apnea, as every time this happens, you wake up. This can increase the risk of high blood pressure. High blood pressure, in turn, can cause arrhythmia, heart failure, and strokes. This can increase the risk of a fatal heart attack by up to 5 times.

Heart disease and central sleep apnea have a cyclic relationship. In this case, heart disease causes the person to retain water and salts. At night, this excess fluid can enter the lungs making the person wake up feeling short of breath. This is not necessarily because the airways get blocked but because the brain does not send the diaphragm a signal to expand and contract. This is not as common as obstructive sleep apnea.

Reducing your risk of heart disease caused by sleep apnea
There are ways to treat sleep apnea so as to reduce the chances of heart diseases. To treat it, it must first be diagnosed. Thus, if your roommate notices you snoring, consult a doctor immediately. For a diagnosis, you will need to undergo a sleep study. This involves staying overnight in the hospital where they will monitor your sleep. Treatment for sleep apnea is known as continuous positive airway pressure or CPAP. 

This form of treatment involves wearing a mask that regulates the air pressure as you breathe thus ensuring that the air passages do not close down. In case of obstructive sleep apnea, losing weight if you are obese, can also help treat the condition and keep the airways open. 

Sleep Apnea - How It Can Increase The Risk Of Heart Disease?

If there is anything other than food and a healthy living that sustains us, it is sleep. Sleep is the basic necessity of our lives. It is the battery that keeps our body clock working. Nowadays our lives are fast-paced with competitions to meet and targets to reach where stress takes a toll on our body. A good night s sleep would be enough to feel rejuvenated, you think? Well, you think it right but what if it is the sleep that causes the problem? What if your sleep is imbalanced?

According to Ayurveda, there are 3 different types of sleep imbalance, arising from Vata, pitta and Kapha dosha.
Vata: Sleep becomes imbalanced when your mind stays awake despite you being tired. Your mind is occupied with thoughts and worries which do not let you fall asleep.
Pitta: It is the dosha which is one of the most common disorder found in the elderly people where you have a perfect sleep but wake up in the dawn or wee hours and are unable to go back to sleep resulting in the tossing and turning in the bed and ultimately giving up.
Kapha: When you sleep well for a long time but yet you wake up feeling tired and fatigued instead of being fresh, is when Kapha dosha occurs.

Ayurvedic tips for a good sleep
There are many people around us who go through at least one of these three imbalances in sleep. Ayurveda has come up with several easy and natural tips to have a good sleep. There 4 great tips among many, following which you will get a quick result.

Oil Massage: Oil is said to soothe our nerves if massaged properly. Warm oil works best on the scalp and on the soles of our feet. Any oil, from jojoba to jasmine, almond to coconut with a few drops of lavender oil could be used for massage. Applying this daily will soothe one's nerves and induce a good sleep.
Warm milk: Drinking a glassful of warm milk 10 minutes before going to sleep will help in having an uninterrupted sleep.
Routine bedtime: Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise . Note the use of the word  healthy  in this nursery rhyme. We have been taught this since our childhood days, only if we could follow. Sleeping on time plays an important role here because inadequate sleep due to long working hours often cause sleeping disorders.
Morning Exercise: After waking up early in the morning, Ayurveda suggests exercising as early morning exercise will help you fall asleep at night easily. You must not indulge in an exercise later in the day because it would make you more active instead of inducing sleep.
Leading a healthy lifestyle is what we all look forward to and that is why sleeping on time and doing the right things like following these simple tips from Ayurveda will lead us to a healthier living.

4 Great Ayurvedic Tips That Promote Good Sleep!

Sleep apnea is a disorder which is characterized as interruptions in breathing when you are sleeping. These interruptions or pauses in breathing usually last for about 10 to 20 seconds and may be repeated over 100 times alongside the duration of your sleep. This condition leads to poor sleep resulting in drowsiness, fatigue and poor concentration throughout the day.

Sleep apnea can be classified as:
1. Central sleep apnea: Central sleep apnea impairs the central nervous system wherein the brain fails to control muscles which regulate breathing while you sleep.
2. Obstructive sleep apnea: This type of sleep apnea occurs when the soft tissues present in the back of the throat block the airway and thus resulting in loud snoring.

Signs and symptoms
The various signs and symptoms of sleep apnea are
1. Loud and chronic snoring during sleeping
2. Interruptions in breathing
3. Shortness of breath during sleep
4. Fatigue during the day
5. Choking and gasping during sleep
6. Extreme irritability and drowsiness
7. Experiencing headaches in the morning
8. impaired concentration and forgetfulness
9. Chronic sore throat and dry mouth
10. Depression

The various risk factors for sleep apnea are:
1. If you are overweight
2. If you are male
3. If you are over the age of 40
4. If you have a large tongue and tonsils
5. If someone in your family has sleep apnea
6. Nasal obstruction due to sinus problems

There are certain prevention measures to control sleep apnea, they are:
1. Limit smoking: Smoking may cause you to retain fluid in the throat which contributes to sleep apnea.
2. Exercise: You should exercise regularly to keep off weight as being overweight increases the chances of getting affected by sleep apnea.
3. Schedule your sleep: You should get enough sleep every day so that your body is refreshed and revitalized. Getting enough sleep, thus helps in preventing sleep apnea.

Risk Factors Associated with Sleep Apnea

Sleep disorder is a serious problem which a large number of people are facing due to multiple reasons. Almost every other person complains of having some sort of sleep disorder, irrespective of his/her age. Sleep disorders may come across as something which can be overlooked, but this shouldn t be the case, as when the problem aggravates it can take quite a scary turn. You need to be aware of the different kinds of sleep disorders which affect a vast number of people, on a daily basis. Given below are some of the most common ones which affect the majority of the crowd.

1. Insomnia
Insomnia, a worldwide epidemic, is the most common type of sleep disorder today. A number of factors can cause insomnia and affect even the healthiest being. From stress, anxiety or depression, substance and alcohol abuse to certain types of medication, a lot of factors can cause this issue. People who have insomnia have difficulty in sleeping and then maintaining that sleep. A cognitive behavioral therapy can help people suffering from this disorder. Often medications are also prescribed.

2. Sleep Apnea
If you have a partial or complete blockage of the throat then, you might be suffering from sleep apnea. This disorder is the second most prevailing sleep disorder in the world today. People who suffer from this disorder hardly realize it until someone informs them about having the trouble. Some of the common symptoms of Sleep apnea are morning headaches, daytime sleepiness, and excessively loud snoring as well. People suffering from apnea may also face trouble breathing multiple times per night. Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machine is a common treatment for this disorder.

3. RLS or Restless Leg Syndrome
The real reason behind RLS is still not known by experts, however, most believe the real cause of the disorder is hereditary. Some medications can also be a cause of restless leg syndrome. In this disorder, an urge to move your legs and hands precedes the need to sleep. RLS usually occurs when the patient is resting. In order to treat the restless leg syndrome, one must reduce the consumption of alcohol and caffeine along with doing regular exercises. For more severe cases, often medications are prescribed. RLS is observed more in women than in men.

4. Narcolepsy
People with narcolepsy often complain about falling asleep during odd times and feeling weak quite often. An abnormality in the brain is usually the reason behind this sleep disorder. Patients of narcolepsy often develop cataplexy which is a condition where patients feel faintish as an emotional reaction to any situation. People suffering from narcolepsy are given medications as a treatment.


4 Most Common Sleep Disorders

Sleep is one such time when people usually are expected to lie down still and get rest. However, we have all heard of sleepwalking, a condition where a person walks during the sleep. Though it may sound strange, there is a deeper explanation for it both from a causative point of view and from managing it.

Things you should know?

Sleepwalking happens when a person moves back from a deep sleep to a light sleep or awakening state.
The person who is sleepwalking is usually not aware of it.
Activities may range from simply getting up and sitting up in bed to walking around the room. They could also open the door and walk out to the neighbourhood. Moving furniture, changing dresses or driving a car, may also be some of the actions Most of these activities happens completely without their knowledge.
Mostly happens in children up to the age of 12, but can be seen in adults also, where it assumes a more severe form.
The person who is sleepwalking has a fixed stare with glassy eyes. They may appear dazed and lost when they are awakened.
They may not respond when they are actually sleepwalking, or respond very slowly
They can be brought back to bed and put back to sleep without being disturbed. Most children would go back to sleeping when this is done
Though the parents can be very worried when they see children sleepwalking, reassurance is required, as it usually disappears as they cross teenage.
There could be chances of small injury like tripping or fall during the sleepwalking episode
Sleepwalkers may be more restless compared to other children during their waking hours
Bedwetting is also quite common in children who sleepwalk
Causes

Inappropriate sleep pattern with lack of sleep for prolonged periods is one of the main reasons for sleepwalking
Stress
Excessive drinking
Medical conditions like heart rhythm problems, acidity, gastric reflux, and seizures
Psychiatric conditions like panic attacks and post-traumatic stress disorder can also lead to sleepwalking
Management

For a parent to see their child walking around in their sleep can be quite disturbing.
Reassurance is required stating that it is just a temporary phase and will not stay beyond the teenage years
Most people do not require any intervention unless accompanied by severe symptoms like going out of the house or driving
Once established, it is advisable to avoid by not drinking too much alcohol, avoiding stress and anxiety and taking precautions like extra-secure locks to prevent sleepwalking and/or other side effects.

Sleepwalking - 11 Things You Must Know!

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